Only a few weeks remain in the 2017 regular season. Which Group of Five squads are still in the hunt for conference titles and a New Year’s Six berth?
With two weeks left in the regular season for most Group of Five teams, time is running out to gain ground in the race for a New Year’s Six berth. Three teams are the clear frontrunners, led by one of the only four remaining undefeated teams in the country. But there is still a little bit of time to get back into the hunt.
After all, conference championship games are often times of chaos that can trip up even the best teams. And since the New Year’s Six slot available to Group of Five teams stipulates that only conference champs have a shot at landing in a major bowl game, that first weekend of December will be pivotal for teams with a dream of Peaches or Fiestas or Cotton.
The final fortnight of November, then, is going to be critical as schools jockey for position in the race. In Week 11, one of the former frontrunners learned just how much a November loss can hurt a team in the hunt.
Currently, three Group of Five teams sit among the ranked squads in the most recent College Football Playoff Top 25. The highest-ranked among them will be guaranteed a spot in a major bowl as long as they keep winning. So let’s dive in and take another look at the mid-major pecking order in the newest installment of the Group of Five power rankings.